| Gavilán G358 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Light transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Gavilán S.A. |
| First flight | 27 April 1990 |
| Status | Active |
| Primary users | Colombian Air Force Colombian National Army National Police of Colombia |
| Unit cost | US$400,000 as of 2007 |
The Gavilán 358 (English: Sparrow Hawk) is a Colombian light utility transport aircraft of the 1990s. A high-winged monoplane powered by a single piston engine, small numbers of Gaviláns were produced in the late 1990s/early 2000s, some serving with the Colombian Air Force.
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In 1952, Aero Mercantil of Bogota, Colombia, became a dealer for Piper Aircraft, later selling a range of Piper aircraft assembled from kits by Aero Industrial Colombiana SA (AICSA), also in Bogota. In 1986, it started development of a single engined utility aircraft, suitable for production in Colombia.[1][2][3]
The resultant design, the Gavilán, is a simple high-winged monoplane of all metal construction. It has a boxy, square section fuselage that accommodates a pilot and up to seven passengers, with access via two doors on either side of the cockpit and a large cargo door on the left side of the fuselage. The passenger seats can be removed to allow carriage of cargo, including a full-sized coffin. It is fitted with a fixed tricycle undercarriage designed to withstand continued operations from rough South American airstrips. It is powered by a 350 hp (261 kW) Lycoming O-540 engine, turbocharged to give sufficient power at Colombia's high altitudes.[4][5]
The first prototype Gavilán made its first flight on 27 April 1990, testing resulting in lengthening of the forward fuselage and modifications to the wing. [6] It was badly damaged in a crash landing due to engine failure in 1992, however, delaying certification and production, with the second prototype not flying until 29 May 1996.[5] The Gavilán received its type certificate under US FAR part 23 regulations in May 1998.[7]
Deliveries to customers started in 1998, with the first of twelve Gaviláns ordered by the Colombian Air Force being delivered on 25 June that year.[7] El Gavilán (as Aero Mercantil was renamed in 1992) had received orders for 19 aircraft by November 1999,[5] but it is unclear whether all of these were built, with Flightglobal estimating in 2008 that only about twelve Gaviláns had been completed.[8] At least four of the Colombian Air Force's Gaviláns were still in use in 2004.[9]
Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000 [5]
General characteristics
Performance
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